the first time dealing with a student who is literally crying over a grade

giving personal hygiene advice

being confronted with a screamer

telling a graduate student they won’t be getting their PhD

I remember the first time a student came to me in tears over a grade on her first-ever college paper. It was rather awkward, but I explained to her that it was because I thought her paper was good that I gave it an A-.

I find conversations in which the student feels compelled to reveal personal information in order to explain his or her performance as a student difficult. I don’t want students to feel like they have to reveal otherwise private details of their lives to me for the sake of, say, explaining why a paper was so poor, and I never ask for them, but I understand my students’ need to try to justify themselves. When I see that’s where the conversation is headed I tell them that they don’t need to provide me with any such details. Sometimes, I’m sure, this leaves them with the impression that I don’t care about their personal problems, which isn’t necessarily true; I don’t want to shut down a student who is reaching out to me for help. Sometimes it’s hard to find that sweet spot between being a professor who’s respectful of student privacy (when the fact that you’re in charge of their grade is the only reason they’d be sharing some personal information) and being a person who’s compassionate.

What are the worst (awkward, difficult, scary, inappropriate, etc.) conversations you have had as a professor? (In answering, please take steps to protect the identity of those you’re discussing.)

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Is it gay for me to love Natalie Wynn?
— the philosopher takes on tough questions, and just when you think “but what about this further question she definitely won’t ask because it raises politically incorrect problems for her own view?” she asks it. Watch the whole thing.